Pleasantly Surprised

A lot of people complain about children being loud, but the noise children generate can be quite useful for a parent. When my kids make noise, I can tell where they are, how far they are and what they might be doing (i.e. maniacal laughs+screams=sibling torture). Kids eventually learn that if they want to get away with something they know they ought not be doing, that they should do it quietly.

Therefore, all parents also learn at some point that when kids are quiet, nine times out of ten they’re doing something really naughty. For example, here is a list of things I’ve caught my kids doing when going stealth:

– pulling off and tearing apart wall decorations

– ripping pages out of books

– opening doors/packages they’ve been told not to touch

– removing electrical outlet plugs and attempting to stick something in them

– knowingly and enthusiastically breaking toys

– creating a work of art on the walls

– defecating and/or urinating on the carpet

I think I’ve made my point. Stealthy silence is hypnotic, which is why it’s so hard to notice sometimes. When you put up with racket almost 24/7, peace and quiet feels relaxing and joyous. But it’s a trick. Once your child goes mobile, never trust the silence.

It’s been a while since I’ve experienced some silence from my kids so when it happened today I was a little surprised. I was playing with C and she ventured into another room. She wanders in and out of rooms all the time so I preoccupied myself with something else, waiting for her return.

I realized after a while that the house had gone silent, so I assumed the worst. Was she tearing up wall decorations? Had she pulled all her clothes off and started using the carpet as a toilet? Thankfully, no. I was pleasantly surprised to find her just playing nicely by herself with her jewelry box.